


Good as Gold

by anaiire



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 10:05:59
Rating: Not RatedGeneral Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10004711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anaiire/pseuds/anaiire
Summary: Leave it to Daryl to find love at the end of the world...





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little one-shot I wrote up this evening. I needed something a bit happier to make me feel better. Hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading!

Leave it to Daryl to find love at the end of the world.

Of course, he had thought he was in love before, when he was sixteen. And then again when he was twenty-three, and two years after that. After a while, when partners would leave, he figured love just wasn’t for him. Especially not the type of people he was dating. Not men.

He figured Merle wouldn’t really have a problem with it; his brother loved him more than anything or anyone. Daryl had never told him, in case Merle reacted the opposite of how Daryl assumed he would. And he definitely didn’t tell his father. The scars Daryl had covering his back and chest were proof enough that his father didn’t care any bit about him, and he would have no problem adding to Daryl’s collection of scars if Daryl had told him that he was in love with men.

He remembered the tenderness in Jesus’ actions when he kissed those scars. The shocked, horrified gasp as Jesus first saw them; it hadn’t happened to him, but all Daryl had to say was “my daddy…” and Jesus understood. He kissed every inch of Daryl’s scars, fingers gently tracing them after his lips left them. He wished he could take the pain away that they still held for Daryl.

Even after coming out to Jesus, and to Rick and Carol and the other members of his family, Daryl realized he was safe. It didn’t matter who he loved; his family didn’t care. They were happy for him, and for some, just grateful that Daryl had finally allowed himself to be happy without fear of what closed-minded people would think.

After a few months together, after Jesus made sure Maggie was in charge of Hilltop and had everything she’d need, Jesus moved to Alexandria for four days out of the week. He wanted to be close to Daryl. For those days when Jesus wasn’t at Alexandria, he was with Jesus at Hilltop. By then, Maggie had her baby, and Daryl loved seeing little Hershel. He especially loved seeing how natural Jesus seemed to be with him. Daryl didn’t think there was anything Jesus was bad at.

But Jesus was bad at lying. He always had a small smile on his face when he lied to Daryl, whether it be about the size of the walker hoard he had (narrowly) escaped from, or how much sleep he really got. Daryl was good at guessing, judging from the size of the dark circles under his eyes.

And Jesus was good at guessing when Daryl was lying. The way he played with his own hair, or how he scoffed and folding his arms over his chest. Of course, when Jesus called Daryl out on it, Daryl just huffed more and rolled his eyes, looking away from the younger man. It was usually accompanied by “fuckin’ hippie”. Jesus just smirked at the nickname.

When things had calmed down a bit, when the Saviors weren’t a threat and all the communities seemed to be working together and peace, maybe real, honest peace and fallen onto their communities, Daryl went off without Jesus one day. And another day…and another. Jesus was about to go out after him, find him somehow, when Daryl returned to Alexandria. He was bruised and had somehow managed to break his nose by falling down a hill, as the story he told Jesus went, but he was okay. Jesus, for the record, didn't believe Daryl's story, but he didn't want to press him for more details.

Jesus held Daryl tightly and finally let out all of the worried tears he had been holding in for the three days Daryl was gone. And Rick let Daryl know how many times Jesus was at his house, worrying and pacing over where Daryl would have gone off without saying anything to Jesus first.

But all was forgiven the next evening, when Daryl took Jesus to the gazebo in Alexandria, the place where so many months ago Jesus had surprised—and, to an extent, humiliated—Daryl with their first, very public, kiss. Daryl fumbled with his fingers, and then fumbled with something in his pocket. Jesus was laughing at him, his laughs quickly dissolving into a fit of gasps as Daryl pulled out a simple silver band. Jesus’ eyes teared up as he realized what was going on. Never, for as long as Jesus had spent with Daryl, did he think Daryl would be the one to propose.

But there Daryl was, awkwardly getting down on one knee in front of Jesus, calling him by his real name, forgetting that people were still out taking their evening walks and getting ready to all go home or off to their next jobs within the city walls. He asked Jesus to marry him, apologizing with a slight blush that he wasn’t able to find a gold ring for Jesus. He told Jesus he wanted to find a color that reminded him of the way Jesus’ hair looked when the evening sun was shining its dim light on Jesus, like it was at that very moment.

But Jesus said he didn’t care what the ring looked like. He couldn’t believe it was happening.

And, to Jesus, the silver ring was as good as gold.


End file.
